In a season where almost everybody thought the New York Jets would win only a few games or perhaps go winless, their head coach Todd Bowles has turned the season around. However, has he done enough to give the organization hope for the future?
What Should the New York Jets do with Todd Bowles?
Where are the Jets now?
Entering their bye-week, the Jets currently sit at 4-5 and are in the middle of the pact in the conference. Besides an embarrassing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, the Jets have exceeded expectations.
Though they have let a few leads slip away, it’s not for a lack of coaching. The fact of the matter is the Jets just aren’t as talented as other teams, which makes the job head coach Todd Bowles has been able to do even more impressive.
When Gang Green cut fan favorite David Harris and capable wide receivers like Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, few thought they would win any games.
Buying Into the Process
One of the hardest aspects of coaching is getting players to buy-in to the ideals set, much less a long and draining rebuild process. Exhibit A of that can be observed with the travesty that is going on with the team the Jets share their stadium with.
The New York Giants are in complete disarray, and not all of it is for a lack of talent. Players have quit on head coach Ben McAdoo, and the down mentality is being expressed in their performance. Somehow, Bowles didn’t let that happen to Gang Green.
Though they lost their first meeting against the New England Patriots, the first half of that game was evidence of the Jets buying into Bowles. The Jets came out swinging and found themselves with a 14-point lead against arguably the best team in the league. If that isn’t faith in the coach and exemplary of great coaching in general, what is?
Bowles is currently signed through the 2018 season, which means he has the rest of this year to prove his worth. Most teams don’t like to have their head coaches on one-year contracts because it makes them a lame duck. In other words, it doesn’t prove that the organizations has much faith in the person leading the charge.
Right now the Jets have a young core of players that have been leading the charge, especially on defense. First-round pick Jamal Adams is in contention for defensive rookie of the year and Marcus Maye is an upgrade at his position.
Looking ahead, the Jets will be in a prime position to build their team up in the 2018 NFL Draft. There have been reports that they’re looking at Josh Allen as a possible answer to the franchise’s quarterback issues, a problem that has plagued them for decades.
If that’s the case, the Jets need to commit to Todd Bowles or move on because changing coaches early in a young quarterback’s career can set him back.
Bottom Line
As Colin Cowherd says, there are two types of coaches in this league: Coaches with top quarterbacks and coaches who get fired. For Bowles sake, hopefully, he proved to the organization he is the guy and they get him a quarterback.
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